Knoxville Museum of Art: Alive After Five

Alive After Five is a unique live music series that takes place in the smoke-free, casually elegant setting of the Ann and Steve Bailey Hall in the Knoxville Museum of Art. There is a live band on stage, seating at tables, two cash bars, food from area restaurants, free freshly popped popcorn, and free parking. Audience members can enjoy listening to music, dancing, and browsing the museum’s art galleries. Admission is $15 for general and $10 for museum members and college students with ID. Ages 17 and under are admitted free.

Ijams Nature Center: Mudapalooza

Join us as we celebrate International Mud Day 2017! We believe strongly in the power of mud, and the benefits it can have for children. Stay for a little while, or stay the whole time as we make mud sculptures, play in our mud kitchen, and even paint with mud! Make sure you wear clothes that can get muddy- and there are no wet wipes allowed!

Notes about this program:Please meet at the Visitor's Center a few minutes early to check in.EVERYONE over the age of 1 must have a ticket.We will get very dirty! You may want to bring a change of clothes for your children.The fee is $8. Everyone over the age of 1 must have a ticket.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mudapalooza-at-ijams-tickets-35442112312

A devoted watercolorist for 40 years, Kate Aubrey has won numerous awards and was a finalist in The Artists Magazine's Over 60 Competition of 2013 for her painting, "Invisible." Since arriving in the Knoxville area in 2014, Aubrey has taught workshops in Tennessee and Nevada, is Vice President of the Knoxville Watercolor Society, and is a member of the Art Guild of Tellico Village, the Fountain City Art Center, the Tennessee Artist's Association, the Southern Watercolor Society, and the Arts Alliance of Knoxville. Her paintings have been in the Oak Ridge Art Center's Annual Juried Shows of 2014 and 2015, winning awards each year, and The Arts and Culture Alliance's National Juried Exhibition of 2016. She won awards in the 2016 and 2017 Southern Watercolor Society Juried Exhibits, and her painting "Old Soul, Dear Heart" took the top Jerry's Artarama Purchase Award in the 2016 Tennessee Watercolor Society Biennial Exhibition.Lee Edge uses a variety of techniques to create artwork ranging from portraits to landscapes to still lifes. Edge's artwork has appeared in juried shows in numerous locations including the Denver Art Museum, the Rocky Mountain states, Philadelphia, and Knoxville. She received an award in the 18-state-plus-D.C. Southern Watercolor Society show in 2017 and was awarded "Excellence of Watercolor" in the 2014 Oak Ridge Open Show. She has worked as an art teacher in various states over thirty years while raising her family and moving often, necessitated by husband's jobs. She and her husband have resided in Tellico Village since 2003.

Tomato Head: "With the Eye, for the Mind" by Dino Liddick

The image of the tortured artist is cliché because it’s often true, and, more so, because we talk about it a lot. In fact we love it. It may be that it appeals to a strange human craving for martyrdom: we love those who suffer for their passions. But not all artists fall on their swords or mutilate their ears; for a whole bunch of them the creative process reflects an earnest desire to bring a burning passion or drive to create into harmony with a good, even calm life.

Dino Liddick is one of the seekers of calm. Dino’s exhibit, “With the Eye, For the Mind” is currently hanging in our Market Square location, and the work that comprises the show is built upon a foundation of mindfulness and kindness. Some of that is a reaction to an emotional life, and some is related to sheer practicality. Certainly the artist has responded to emotional crises in his work, but for Liddick, the art isn’t merely a kind of therapy: it’s a statement of being. “Sometimes somebody will ask me how I feel, and I say, well, look at that painting – that’s how I feel.” On his website, he writes, “Rather than pulling ideas from the mind to produce ‘art,’” he, “practices clearing his mind through the process of a piece.”

Rather than formulate a work, Liddick hopes the piece will come together intuitively without too much conscious involvement. It’s an effort to feel rather than to think. When he’s moved by a subject or situation, Dino tries “to go home and reach that feeling, and let that feeling come into shape. I try to paint the feeling and then put in the shapes – I don’t try to the paint the shapes and then put in the feeling.”

“With the Eye, for the Mind” by Dino Liddick will be on view at the downtown Knoxville Tomato Head on Market Square from June 5th through July 2nd. The exhibit will display at the West Knoxville Gallery Tomato Head from July 4th through August 3rd.

UT Downtown Gallery: Living On

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present “Living On”, an exhibition of 24 portraits of holocaust survivors and liberators living in Tennessee by Robert Heller. Heller, a professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee since 1986, received his B.S. and M.A. degrees in photojournalism from Syracuse University. He taught photography and graphics for five years at the University of Miami, and was publications designer and photographer at the State University of New York College at New Paltz, and Elmira College in New York. Heller also taught photography at The Center for Photography at Woodstock, New York. His photographs have been selected for numerous juried exhibitions and he continues to do freelance work in both graphic design and photography.

“Living On,” has previously been exhibited in museums around the state of Tennessee and at major cities in Poland. A book of the images and accompanying interviews was published by the University of Tennessee Press in spring, 2008. Heller is a member of the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, where he has served as head of the Visual Communication Division.

Living On is a project of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, which is funded by an annual appropriation from the Tennessee State Legislature and by private donations. Assistance in the development of this documentary project was provided, as well, by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc. The traveling exhibition was curated by Susan W. Knowles.

Please visit our website, www.tennesseeholocaustcommission.org, for more information on this and other public outreach programs.This event is free and open to the public. This exhibition will run through mid-July. The closing date is TBA.

Dogwood Arts: Regional Art Exhibition

The Dogwood Arts Regional Art Exhibition was developed to showcase and award the finest artists of our region. Fine art encompassing all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists has been selected by juror Leslie Noell, Director of Programs at Bakersville, North Carolina’s Penland School of Crafts.

Rala: Handmade Jewelry by Smart + Becker Creative

A self-taught artist with a background in creative writing and journalism, a passion for advertising, and an unrelenting drive to make. Ryan-Ashley finds herself crafting copy by day, stringing together minimalist-inspired wearables by night, and reading books in hot baths as often as possible.

Ryan-Ashley has been teaching knitting for 14 years, and facilitates workshops on a variety of subjects including peyote-stitch beadwork, bead-making, fiberwork jewelry, intro. to leatherwork, and a host of other DIY-related topics. New to Knoxville, but eager to dig into the maker community, you can learn about any and all upcoming projects, workshops, and shows at http://www.smartandbeckercreative.com/.

The Emporium Center: Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild Quilt Show 2017

A public reception will take place on Friday, June 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition. The First Friday reception also features music by Bethany Hankins and Swing Serenade at 7:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild (KMQG) exists for residents in and around Knoxville who have an interest in modern design and quilting. KMQG hopes to provide members with a community where modern quilters can meet, share ideas, and create in an environment that encourages creativity and acceptance. The Guild is a member of the international Modern Quilt Guild, whose first meeting took place in January 2010 and was organized by Alissa Haight-Carlton. Mary Beth Meadows of the Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild took subsequent steps to establish KMQG in February of that same year.

The Guild will exhibit quilts made using traditional means and featuring a modern aesthetic. The collection will consist of works from KMQG members. For more information, please visit http://knoxvillemqg.blogspot.com/.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Emporium Center: 17th Street Studios: Amalgam Volume 4

A public reception will take place on Friday, June 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition. The First Friday reception also features music by Bethany Hankins and Swing Serenade at 7:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

The artists who make up 17th Street Studios each have a unique background and specific creative inclination. Their differing goals result in bodies of work that notably contrast from one other. Yet, as these artists inhabit the same space, conversations are sparked, similarities are discovered, and a fusion of ideas take shape. As a result, the word amalgam, meaning a mixture or blend, identifies the work produced by the residents of this studio.

The artists of 17th Street Studios are Eric Brittain, Lesley Eaton, Jon Hendricks, Renee Holiday, Beth Meadows, Janet McMullen, Natalie Petrosky, Britton Sharp, and alumni Gwyn Pevonka. 17th Street Studios is a private work space for artists located in Redeemer Church in the Fort Sanders neighborhood near downtown Knoxville. Its primary mission is to promote the success of fine artists through affordable physical space that fosters community and support. To learn more, visit http://17thstreetstudios.gutensite.com.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Emporium Center: Anne Freels: The Maize Abides

A public reception will take place on Friday, June 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition. The First Friday reception also features music by Bethany Hankins and Swing Serenade at 7:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Anne Freels is a full-time craft artist who has been making corn shuck dolls since 1975. She is devoted to the creative process of craft and especially the alchemy of transforming raw, natural materials into new forms. First, she dyes the natural dried corn shucks by hand; she then rolls and ties them into the doll figures; and finally, she embellishes them with a variety of natural materials and repurposed objects. Freels’ dolls represent her imaginative notions of folklore, legend, myth, and earthly and celestial entities as well as traditional Appalachian themes. Because of her interest in keeping corn shuck doll craft alive, she teaches workshops and classes and has authored an instructional book on the craft entitled "Making Colorful Corn Shuck Dolls”. Her work is available at various craft galleries and shops in the southern Appalachian region.

In addition to her corn shuck artistry, Anne Freels also produces her own line of natural skin care products under the business of Annie Egypt Herbals. She began by experimenting with making her own soaps more than 20 years ago and has since added face and body creams, anointing and massage oils, and other products good for the body and soul. All of her products are made in small batches using all-natural vegetable oils and pure essential oils. https://www.facebook.com/annie.egypt.herbals/

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.